Now for my last, soothing, bedtime check on The War so I can really lie awake and think about it

w.b. yeats died on this day in 1939. if, instead of dying, he had begun to age again but in reverse, he would have reached his birth - i.e. become 0 years old - in 2012. Assuming that he then began ageing in the normal direction again, he would currently be 14 years old and preparing for his gcses

Excerpt reads: "Prioritize your neighborhood Neighborhoods drive our happiness (or unhappiness) more than we think. When Lina Martinez, director of POLIS, the Center for Wellbeing Studies at Universidad Icesi in Colombia, studied the happiness of households in the city of Cali, she couldn’t find much difference between poorer and richer areas. “Their happiness is pretty much the same,” she said. But that changed when she isolated neighborhood conditions, such as access to transit, health care and parks. “The conditions of the neighborhood affect happiness,” she said. “I can’t link that to the space where [people] live.” That aligns with findings from a 2023 study of the Vancouver metro area: Researchers found no significant differences in well-being between people living in single detached homes, duplexes, townhouses, laneway houses and apartment buildings (basement units smaller than 300 square feet were the only negative exception). What did people say they missed most in their neighborhood? Affordability, proximity to family and friends, and a sense of community. Home design was eighth on the list."

A Washington Post article suggests that, beyond a certain threshold, larger homes don't make people happier. Instead, well-being is correlated with affordable housing in walkable neighborhoods where they feel socially connected.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

[12hrs into my ice interrogation]

agent: in 2021 you posted “they should call him matt hardcock am i right fellas” can you explain that?

me: do you know who matt hancock is?

a:…

[43mins later]

a: he had his own app? for parkour?

me: no the parkour was a separate issue

My new favourite genre of England pundit is the one that keeps repeating ‘this is not a strong Australian team’ in ever-increasing frustration. #Ashes 🏏

Die Hard 2 is a Boxing Day Test movie.

Sultana and Corbyn act like they were put together in a competition by Simon Cowell and now they're contractually obliged to go on tour

Five sessions that weren't even the full length!

As TLC advised, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to.

Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?

This is the worst news. Ugh.

A thought I never expected to have: House of Windsor currently beating the US government on transparency and accountability.

Have read and greatly enjoyed Powerfully Likeable - see also the New Yorker write up.

Louvre Thieves Given Immunity After Confirming Jewels Stolen For Purpose Of Training AI Software FRENCH POLICE have immediately ended all efforts to recover priceless Napoleon-era jewellery from the Louvre taken in a daring heist after it emerged the jewels were merely stolen for the purposes of training AI software. When …

Louvre Thieves Given Immunity After Confirming Jewels Stolen For Purpose Of Training AI Software waterfordwhispersnews.com/2025/10/20/louvre-thieve...

once again, if tylenol caused autism, america would have a better rail system

in Disney’s next Marvel film the hero won’t criticise the villain or even stand up to them

it's so cute when the IT guys calls it my "temporary" password

Iliman Ndiaye is one of only two players to score in consecutive #EFC home games at different stadiums - after Fred Geary against Bolton at Anfield and against Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park in 1892.

Holiday thought: my millions could be made with a travel consultancy that recommends hotels a flat surface in the bathroom for toiletries. And some non insane lighting/switches. Other secret ideas that make the stay enjoyable, etc.

i absolutely do not agree with recording strangers in public and allowing the internet to doxx them and ruin their lives. that being said, i do find the CEO/HR lady cheating drama very funny, because i am a bad person. two things can be true

A legendary Uncle gift! It's called Sapiens: A Graphic History, in 3 volumes.

There's also a graphic novel version which older children find fascinating.

Will not go down an overthinking rabbit hole on a Monday morning - I am a GRACE/PLATE/etc type so somewhere in the middle. Hmmm. (Resisting spreadsheets and research.)

As someone who toggles between several three consonants/two vowels this has stopped me in my tracks. Hmmm.

If you're not already a Strefen fan, can I suggest this pharmacy-only upgrade.

The Ballad of Wallis Island review – funny, melancholy yarn of a folk duo reunited by oddball superfan Tim Key bring his trademark pleasant awkwardness to the island-owner who pays Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan to come and play for him

Watched the Ballad of Wallis Island tonight - took exactly the right amount of wine (shhh) and tissues. Charming, human, British film. (Felt the rest of the cinema appreciated my charming solo laughs rather quietly.)

it’s funny that they’re both on their own personal websites posting their little posts

The ‘waiting for a reply to an email’ me is the very worst version of me

It’s never your successful friends posting the inspirational quotes

@jamesw1.bsky.social maybe one for a later birthday for my niece?